Theatre by the Lake Archives - Page 2 of 3

Every Brilliant Thing – Theatre by the Lake

20Sep

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Every Brilliant Thing – Theatre by the Lake

Ours is an open society, where we can talk about everything - well almost everything. The final taboos are around death, dying and suicide writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. However, Theatre by the Lake's current production Every Brilliant Thing shines a light brightly on these topics in a way that feels safe, welcoming and supported. From the moment you approach the theatre, things look different - with each brilliant thing people have been invited to share emblazoned across walls, pillars, windows... each with its own unique number. There are warm orange and white fairy lights, a welcome mat and plenty of additional information around the bars and entrance about mental health support and suicide prevention. This one-act one-man play tells the story from a son's perspective of ...

The 39 Steps – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

12Aug

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The 39 Steps – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

Take a step into an entertaining, exhilarating and comical production of John Buchan's classic thriller The 39 Steps at Theatre by the Lake - and you won't be disappointed, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. Patrick Barlow's adaptation is an imaginative and brilliant telling of the story of an innocent upper-middle-class, Richard Hannay who finds himself on the run, accused of murder and the only person who can prevent spies from stealing British military secrets. This is a Theatre by the Lake and Stephen Joseph Theatre production, which is based more on the successful movie version of The 39 Steps by Alfred Hitchcock - and look out for the names of other Hitchcock movies littered throughout the performance. For fans of 'The Play That Goes Wrong' you shouldn't miss this production whi...

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Theatre by the Lake

10Jul

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Theatre by the Lake

Audiences at Theatre by the Lake are whisked back in time with a foot-tapping live swing band which tells the story of one day in the life of a grandma in 1943, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. Blonde Bombshells of 1943 is a rip-roaring night at the theatre set out in the round, capturing the big break for an all-girl swing band. From writer Alan Platter this production by Theatre by the Lake, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Stephen Joseph Theatre is a musical play with a gripping story, classic music and a talented cast. With a schoolgirl, a nun and a man in a dress trying to escape call up to the army, this wonderful production has the warm, cosy feel of a black and white Ealing comedy - yet in glorious technicolour. When the Blonde Bombshells lose members every time they play an Am...

The Lost Spells – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

30May

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The Lost Spells – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

A magical spell has been cast across Theatre by the Lake in Keswick with the opening of the new musical The Lost Spells writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. Adapted from the book by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris this playful, lively production takes the audience on a journey through the wild world, which is endangered as names are lost and animals become extinct. The amazing cast of actor-musicians creates a magical world with a brilliant score of catchy themes that get the toes tapping. Mary Erskin and Will Dollard's music and lyrics capture the spirit of the wildlife and have create a score that takes the audience along a special journey. Schoolgirl Jay is lost in her new school, and when she discovers the book of lost spells falls into the wild wildness that exists within he...

Around the World in 80 Days – Theatre by the Lake

7Apr

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Around the World in 80 Days – Theatre by the Lake

The new season at Theatre by the Lake has kicked off with a classic production of Around the World in 80 Days which surprises, delights and has audiences in hysterics. Like the ticking clock timing Phileas Fogg’s journey to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less, the timing of the action is precise. From the opening scenes, depicting Fogg’s meticulous daily routine, the choreography of this piece of theatre is set high and is delivered with style and humour. This hilarious production is nothing like the recent TV adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic book. This is the story of a man’s wager that he could travel around the world in 80 days - and failure would mean a loss of his colossal personal wealth. Stefan Adegbola is so perfectly cast as Fogg, combining the high-handed, aloofn...

<strong>The Borrowers – Theatre by the Lake</strong>

5Dec

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The Borrowers – Theatre by the Lake

The tiny people who live in the walls and under the floorboards make a return visit to Theatre by the Lake as The Borrowers provides family entertainment this Christmas and into the new year, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The adaptation of Mary Norton’s children’s classic by Theresa Heskins follows the adventures of Pod, Homily and their daughter Arrietty whose life is turned upside down when discovered by the humans living in the house where they live under the floor. This re-telling, with the permission of the deFaria Company plays around with the scale of life between the tiny Borrowers, the human child & adults - as well as the wildlife in the open fields surrounding the Borrower’s home. With the use of puppets and set scale, we zoom in and out of the two worlds which collid...

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Theatre by the Lake

27Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Theatre by the Lake

The wind and rain of an autumn evening in Cumbria sets the scene perfectly for Theatre by the Lake's new production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane - a tragedy that unfolds in a small rural community in Ireland, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The setting of an isolated cottage overshadowed by the mountain range behind captures the claustrophobic existence of Maureen played by Elizabeth Appleby, a 40-something virgin, reluctantly the 'carer' for her controlling mother, Mag played by Susan Twist. Twist is a brilliant character actor who brings this woman to life. No one in the audience would want to be trapped in that room with Mag - but also no one in the audience could fail to laugh and cry with and for her as the relationship between mother and daughter reaches breaking point. App...

27Jun

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The Climbers – Theatre by the Lake

The Climbers by Carmen Nasr was due to receive its world premiere in 2020 -and it has been well worth the wait to see this production which transports us between the UK and the Himalayan Mountain range below the summit of Everest, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. During lockdown, Theatre by the Lake hosted a live online read-through of the first half of this play, with the actors in their bedrooms and living rooms across England. This left me desperate to know what happened next. Now, to see the staging of this play, the script is elevated to another level. Charlie and Yasim Harris are climbers. Yasmin has had a burning desire to climb Everest since a child. Together they have planned the trip of a lifetime, however, two go and only one returns. Charlie's mother, Celia Harris wants ...

4Apr

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Swim – Theatre by the Lake

Sitting in The Studio just a few yards from Derwentwater the urge to run down to the shore and into the icy water is extreme after Liz Richardson’s performance of her play Swim, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. This is a new version of the production performed at HOME in Manchester and at the Edinburgh Festival before the lockdowns. Originally with a cast of other performers, sharing the experiences of a group of wild swimmers, during the following couple of years, Liz revisited her work and focused on the true-life experience of her and her friend Lisa B. This one-woman performance works beautifully, distilling their intertwined story into the one voice. The setting for this production at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick is simple and effective. A chained curtain backdrop upon which the...

2Mar

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The Glee Club – Theatre by the Lake

The wheels of the pit shaft create the backdrop for this coming of age play, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. Music has always been at the heart of mining communities - and the latest production at Theatre by the Lake takes us back to 1962 to join the five pitmen who aren't in the brass band but singers in The Glee Club. This is a beautiful ensemble of five actors who take us back to when coal was king and the men who dug it out, deep in the bowels of the earth, were hard-working, hard-drinking and resolved issues with their fists. The Glee Club is an outlet for emotion and sensitivity that appears on the surface to be missing from the lives of these men - and we get to enjoy some great singing. Under the veneer of laughter, the older men are still scared by their loss and experi...